The Shape of Snakes

While working on The Shape of Snakes in 1999, Minette took part in a television documentary, SCRIBBLING, which focused on the working methods of four respected authors, including AS Byatt. Minette's documentary was broadcast in 2001 and was extremely well received because of her honest portrayal of herself, her enthusiasm and her methods.

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Minette on her early career	Broadband	56K	Broadband	56K
Write what you know	Broadband	56K	Broadband	56K
The writing process	Broadband	56K	Broadband	56K
It's all in the details	Broadband	56K	Broadband	56K
Doing the research	Broadband	56K	Broadband	56K
In the lap of the gods	Broadband	56K	Broadband	56K

"I wanted to help aspiring authors by taking some of the mystique and fear out of writing," she said. "So many people assume that an author knows the story before they start. I certainly don't. For me, every new novel is a voyage of exploration, suspense and discovery, which is why the experience is so exciting."

These clips are excerpts from the documentary Scribbling, produced by Nick Godwin at Wall to Wall Productions and distributed by BBC Worldwide.

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In addition to Scribblings, film-maker Sarah Thorogood also recorded an interview with Minette around the time she was writing The Shape of Snakes. Sarah's mini-documentary is cut with images of Dorset and insight into how Minette writes her novels. Sarah made this film as part of her course at Bournemouth Media School.

Watch FourDocs interview with Minette > >

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